Waves of Knowledge
by Archermusician
Summary: Many people need internships for college. What'll happen when a woman goes to Alaska for hers? Rating may change. DEADLIEST CATCH FIC! Blake/OC, Edgar/FC, OC/OC
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Move In

Disclaimer/Note: READ ME! I do not own anything that may be taken claim of, including the Alaska Game and Fish Dept. The names are of my own creation, a combination of names from people I know. Also, there won't be a mention of any specific Deadliest Catch characters until the fourth chapter.

A plane landed in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Off stepped a young woman with a suitcase and a duffel bag. She walked into the airport and looked around for about ten minutes before she saw the Alaska Game and Fish logo. She walked over to a man that stood about 6 feet tall with long brown hair and sea blue eyes, and introduced herself. "Hi, I am Paige, Paige Givant," and she held out her hand. The man smiled and replied, "Nice to meet you. I'm Jason Madsen, I'm the head of the Environmental Science here at the Alaska Game and Fish office. If you have no objections. I'll take you to my house so you can unpack then we'll take you to the office." "Sounds good. I need to shower, if that's okay?" She ran a hand through her wind swept auburn hair and rubbed a hand over her face, obscuring the multi-colored forest green and autumn orange irises. "No problem, let's go," and he grabbed the bag of the 20 year old student as fe led her through the small airport. A red SUV stood by thr door where he through my suitcase. Even though it was mid-September; the wind was chilly in the morning hours. A short 15 minute drive through town got them to a beautiful 2-story log cabin with a stone chimney.

"I hope you wont fell awkward, it is just me and Captain here." And before she could ask who, or rather what, captain was, a giant dog cae bounding across the yard. "Paige, this is Captain, he is a Bernese Mountain Dog." I pet his head and was let in. The house was nicely decorated with a few rugs; the living room had a couch and two chairs with a TV and a table. On the wall was a wood burning fireplace. Following the short hallway that led to a kitchen, bathroom, the back yard, and a door which he opened to reveal a sauna. He led me upstairs to the bedrooms. He showed me my room that had a queen-sized bed, a vanity, a closet, and desk with two windows covered in curtains. There was a full bath attached to it. He then led me down the hall to a room with a treadmill and a weight machine. He then led me to the very end and opened the door to reveal what was obviously his room. He turned and looked at me seriously. "If you need anything, just ask. For the next three months my house is yours; you have free regin here." "Thank you, Mr. Madsen." "Jason." "Jason." I smiled and walked back to my room. "Let me know when you're ready to go." I called my parents to let them know I was there then headed to the bathroom for a hot shower. After I walked to my dresser in a towel and changed into dark jeans, a black tank top and a white sweater while towel-drying my hair and brushing it out. Light make up and a pair of tennis shoes finished it. I grabbed a light jacket and walked down the steps. I heard Jason on the phone so I didn't want to eavesdrop on it but I heard my name do I assumed it was someone from the office. I tried to make noise, but he didn't hear me. "Ya, I wish she was a bit older. From what I understand, she is smart, athletic, funny and after seeing her she is definitely a looker. I bet the younger boys will be after her." Just then my phone went. I answered the text seeing it was one of my guy friends from home asking if I arrived. I sent it as Jason came in. "Sorry, I was on the phone. Ready to go?" "Whenever you are."

We arrived at the office and Jason introduced me to the main people and showed me to my area. "This will be your workplace. The first thing you'll do-tomorrow-is go out with a boat. Tour biological tean us going to try and track the crab fir this year's season. It'll be about 3 days. Will you be up for it?" I was shocked. I didn't think I would be out so quick. "Y-yes." "You sure?" "Ya, just didn't think I would be out so soon." "The captains will be here in a week. We show them the maps then. You need to be there too." I nodded. "Can I meet the people I'll be with?" "Sure, come on." And he took me down a hall to a dock. Then he led me to a boat about 115 feet long.

"This'll be your vessel for the next few days. Get on." He showed me around and went up to the wheelhouse of the house forward boat. "Paige, this is Captain Nick Dean, deckhands John Lawson and Ralph Fall, and film tech Zach Days. Boys, this is Paige Givant. She is in school for Environmental Science. She is going to help you boys, be nice to her. She'll meet you here at 6 in the morning." They nodded and said there hellos and gave a brief interrogation, then I was allowed to leave with Jason. "Well, what do ya think?" "I think I'll be okay with them." I smirked and added, "They are cute after all." He glared at me. "What?" I innocently asked. He shook his head and we headed back to his house.

"What do you want for dinner?" He asked when we went through the door. "Whatever, I'm not picky." "Pasta with shrimp ok?" "Sounds great." "Ok, I'll make it while you pack." "Sure?" He nodded and went to the kitchen while I headed to my room and packed my duffel bag for three days. I sat down to get online, but before I got to comfortable, I was called down for dinner. I loved the smell and sat down. A plate was placed before me. "Smells amazing." I said with appreciation. "Hopefully tastes better. What to drink?" "Water is fine." He got it and sat down with a beer. "Angel hair pasta with butter garlic shrimp. Enjoy." I tried it and responded, "It is amazing. Where did you learn to cook?" "College." He smiled at my laugh. "You have an enchanting laugh." I blushed, "Thanks." We ate in silence. I offered to do the dishes, being a guest. He initially objected, then gave in. I washed and then asked if he needed me to do anything else. He said no, and told me to sit with him on the couch. We talked a bit asking questions. It started simple, age, likes, dislikes, etc. He was 28 years old, liked mystery and horror movies and stuff. After a while, he opened a bottle of wine. I had a glass, then 2. Halfway through my third, he asked, "Are you in a relationship?" and I noticed he was close to me. "No, and I think I really should be getting to bed. It is 11. Night Jason." I waved and went to my room. The first thing I did was set the alarm then I changed into an oversized t-shirt from an ex and a pair of shorts, then curled into a ball in bed hugging my plush crab.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter : The Exploration

Disclaimer in first chapter; also I am taking this idea off what was briefly mentioned in an episode where they said something about mapping the crab.

I awoke to my alarm at five a.m. then showered and dressed. I didn't know what exactly I would be doing, so I was nervous. I went down and made coffee and waited. As far as I knew, Jason was going to take me, so when it got to 5:40 I was beginning to worry. I went up to his room and knocked. I didn't hear anything so I went in; his bed was empty. I wondered where he was when I heard the shower. He was getting ready, so I decided to go back down. Not even five minutes later, he came down. "Ready?" he asked. I nodded and we went to the dock. He helped me aboard and hugged me. I waved goodbye and went to find my bunk.

In the galley the men were sitting at the table. "Where am I staying?" and the one on the end, Ralph, led me to a room. He pushed his dark brown hair out of his face, showing his brown eyes, which were almost level with the top of my 5'6" frame. "You'll be sharing with me. I'm Ralph by the way." "Paige," I smiled and held out my hand to shake, but he took it and kissed the back. Then the engine turned over and he grabbed my hand and said "Followed me." I did and he took me to the bow as we raced out of the harbor. I noticed there were other boats. Ralph noticed my look. "We divide up the sea. We'll take the north eastern part of the area." "How do we see if there are crab? There are no pots." "We do two things; 1 is a fish finder. Extremely high tech. And two is mini subs." "Ok." And I shivered. "Let's get you inside and I'll treat you to some coffee." "I'll raise your coffee for a nice meal." "Deal." And we went in. He poured me a cup and I asked how long it would take to get there. After he answered several hours, I decided a pot roast. So I started peeling and chopping potatoes, carrots and celery and put it in a roasting pot with the meat. I then started making peanut butter and m&m cookies. I then started to read my book, The Last of the Mohicans. When I heard the floor creak, I knew someone was behind me. I didn't react when an arm wrapped around my waist. I turned and was looking into stormy grey eyes. I saw a boyish face topped with a blonde mop of hair. "John Lawson, deckhand extraordinaire." He wiggled his eyebrows, I smiled and stepped back, "Paige Givant." I held out my hand. He shook it and held it for a moment as if transfixed. There was a bang and he dropped it and stepped back. I smiled as Ralph stumbled down the short corridor tripping out of our room. I smiled and turned away going to check the food while the men talked about what we'd do when we got to the grounds. When we were about half an hour form the grounds; I called everyone down for lunch. After the dishes were done, John, Zach, and Ralph took me to get oil slickers on.

We went outside and they started to unload boxes and set up monitors. "Paige, come here and I'll show you how we set everything up." I nodded and listened as they set up high-tech fish-finders, which we'd use to see if there were biomasses in our area. We secured them to the side of the boat. Then they pulled a key out of a box and opened two trunks. Inside were, what I assumed, the mini-subs. They were about 15" long and a foot wide. They had lights, a claw, and a camera. "Wow." I whispered. "Paige: these are our mine-subs. We will submerse them and see if there are crabs; we attach a cable to them and remote control them." "What if the cable is disconnected?" "If the sub doesn't get a feed for 20 minutes, it will open life preservers to float up for retrieval then repeat." The guys all laughed, "This job is pretty low key. If you want, you can learn how to read the charts and all. Also, you will need to make sure the film is well-fed-Zach'll help you with that." We, or rather they, set up and I watched. They lowered the, into the sea on opposite sides and remoted them down, passing fish, walrus, and the occasional shadow. At the bottom they roved around for about a mile. They kept them down and moved the boat slowly. No crab. W did that over the next three days, which included every  man on the boat flirting with me. The captain; a dirty blonde green eyed man taught me how to drive the boat while Zach the extremely tall brunette with blue eyes, showed me how to use the cameras. I felt more attracted to Ralph then the other men though. When we got to the dock, after not finding any crab in the majority of the eastern area, except along the sanded sections of the mountains. There were several huge biomasses of clean crab. We didn't know the gender, but they were there.

Jason met me at the dock. "Hey," he smiled. I tossed my bag on the dock and hugged everyone goodbye and we, along with the other boats, would make a map of the sea based on the research we gathered. I needed to be there the whole time to learn more. Jason would be supervising; being the head. I jumped down and hugged Jason. We went to his house and I collapsed on the couch. "Why don't you go shower? I'll make dinner then we can talk about your time on the boat and what you will need to do the next few days." I groaned but got up and went to talk a bath. I almost fell asleep in the water when my phone rang. "'Lo?" "Madison." "Hey." It was one of my friends from college. I got out of the water and dried off. I got in a pair of pajama pants and a cami so I could just collapse on bed later. I went down to the smell of steak. "Thought you could use some good food." "Thanks." We ate in silence again and watched TV. "So, what did you think of the Bering Sea?" "It was fun. Hard, but fun." "Wait til tomorrow, the charts will be even more fun." I groaned. "It will be fine. Just a few hours with tons of guys in a locked room." I smirked. "That's my idea of fun anyway." "Go to bed, we need to be there at 8." "Sir." I mock saluted and headed up. I went to bed and dreamt about a silhouette. A man roughly 6 feet tall. He had a swagger in his step that made me more attracted to him. When the silhouette was about 5 feet away, he stopped. He held out his hand. I reached out to take it, but then my alarm went off. I woke in a cold sweat. I went to take a shower and changed into nice slacks and a fitted jacket. I put my hair up and went downstairs. We went to the office and we all; that is the 8 boat crews and Jason, went in a room.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Chart

Just so everyone knows, the next chapter will have DC characters in it!

Thanks to my reviewers from the first two chapters: GracieClaire, JamieMac26, TaylorChesney, Lauren Grant, Mahone-chic-89.

I started another DC story, JoshxOC, Please read!

Everyone was sitting between chairs, against the walls and then the 16 mini-subs were all plugged into a computer. Ralph and John waved and I went over. They both offered their chairs, but I decided to sit on Ralph's lap with my feet on John's. Jason stood and the front of the room. "Men, and lady, thank you once again for going out to the sea and collecting this year's data. Now we must map the sea. We will go around and load the data onto this screen, then the maps will be compared to the past, just for our records, then when we have the captains here in a few days, we will show them this year's map. Our lovely intern," I stood and waved, "will need all this data for her project." As the section's captains spoke, more and more went on the screen. It started with a map of the Bering Sea up from Alaska. The south eastern section went first. They reported mostly cod fish and jellyfish. Both the southern sections had small numbers of crab. The western, northwestern and north had the most luck and our section finished the reports.

The data was all put on a flash drive and given to me. "Paige, you will need to put all our findings in an organized way. Then we will set up our reports for the captains. The Trident Company will be here tomorrow to set the quota and the prices." I nodded. "If you need help at all, ask." I nodded again and went to my "office" and tried to concentrate on the information. I sighed and put my head on the desk. A pair of hands rubbed my shoulders and I leaned into it.

"Need help?" A voice whispered, it was John. I mumbled and pushed away the laptop I was working on. He chuckled. "Relax, I had to help do this last year."

That made me jump, "Help! How many people?" I snapped.

"Wow, calm down. It was just five, including me and I hated it. I am offering because it needs to be done quick. And I want to be with you." I blushed and agreed to the help. He opened the necessary files and helped me put in the info. He opened a mapmaker application. "This is the most difficult part." He copied the whole section of the numbers and imported them. "Now press enter, 562" I did and there were tiny crabs on the map where the crews saw them, I looked at the time. 2 hours. Alls I needed to do was to outline the report and I was done. I turned around and hugged him and pecked his cheek. "Thanks." I said with a smile.

"No problem." There was a silence, "Would you like to go to lunch with me?" I hesitated-it's just lunch- I thought and accepted. I left the laptop, grabbed my bag and let him lead me to his car. He took me to a nice diner where we ate and talked about school and family. After about 45 minutes we decided it was time to go back to work. We walked into the office and I had an angry Jason waiting. John whispered, "Bye" in my ear and pecked my cheek, then seemed to disappear. "My hero," I darkly muttered abd turned to Jason with an innocent look. "Where were you?" He strictly asked.

"I went to lunch with John."

"You should've been working on the charts."

"Done, I just need to do the report for Saturday."

"You sure you are done?"

"Yes, check even."

"Show me." He said with a glint in his eye. I didn't back down but turned away; my hair hitting him and opened the laptop. I opened up everything and showed it to him. I then pushed it towards him so he couldn't complain I hid anything and I glared while he read it. He slid me back the laptop and said, "Good job," in a slightly less gruff voice. I went and sat in front of him and made him look at me.

"Why are you so mad at me?" he looked away. After a while he looked back at me. "I wasn't mad, per say, as much as worried and a bit jealous."

"Jealous? A big handsome man like you. You must have your pick of the town."

"It's nothing, thank you though." I smiled . the rest of the week followed in a similar routine, I woke up, Jason and I went to the office-where many guys would flirt with me- I only responded to Ralph, john and Nick though. I kept my ear buds in most of the time at the office, I finished the outline of the report and then I went to lunch with the guys from the boat, then I helped set up the conference room. After going back to Jason's I did my scheduled work and then at night we ate, watched movies and I occasionally got on facebook, mostly I went to bed from exhaustion though.

On Friday, Jason told me what I'd be doing and we went through the conference. I would be sitting in the front of the room, next to the table where Jason would be talking. I would be talking about the charts and stuff on the laptop. Without Jason's knowledge, I decided that I would see if there was a way I could walk around and see if any captains would be worth the effort to flirt with. I agreed to everything and we went back to his house.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:The Meeting

We woke around 7 the next morning. The whole department would be eating breakfast at work. We dressed in nice clothes and left, I had my laptop and notebook along with a video camera so my Professor could see how well I covered my internship and my research. I was nervous; but I took a deep breath and tried to relax. I jumped when Jason put his hand on my shoulder. "Paige, relax. It will be okay." I thought 'Yeah, you don't have a grade resting on it,' but smiled and went out to the car with him, too nervous to talk. We got there and went to the conference room. I barely ate anything and decided to go to my desk. I put my stuff down and sat in my chair. I sighed and waited til 9 to go to the room where the meeting with the captains would be. I set my computer on the table and connected it to the projector. I smiled when I found a remote. That means I could walk around and check out the captains. I opened all the screens and practiced with the remote, while I was doing that though; I had music playing. Styx was playing with a nice echo and mouthed along with the comforting tunes. My dad bought it for me and the first time I listened to it I was hooked. I went back to the desk and hid the remote in my pocket, hoping it wouldn't be noticeable. I sat down and checked my mail.

At about 9:25 Jason came in. He paced and jumped when the door opened and I saw out of the corer of my eye a man walk in. he was about 6 feet tall with dirty blonde hair. He was wearing jeans and a hoodie that was black and had "TRADITION" in light blue across the front. From what I saw he was pretty cute. Jason went over and talked to him. I saw him looking at me but I kept looking around the computer. About 9:45 Jason came up and asked me if I had everything. I went through my stuff and realized I left the video camera at my desk. I went to get it and thought about if I knew who that captain was. I figured I would find out eventually. I was going over my notes in my head all the way to my desk and back. I got back about 9:55 and set it up and saw a dark haired, bearded man with glasses that was also pretty cute. I went back to my computer and sat down.

**Blake's POV*

I knew I was early when I got to the Game and Fish Dept at 9:30 but I figure a good seat is good, especially since I haven't been fishing on the Bering Sea for a few years and I thought the other captains would be here soon. I walked in in jeans and a Tradition-my boat's-hoodie. I recognized Jason, he came over and shook my hand and wrapped me in a one armed hug which I returned. It's been a while since I saw him. When we separated, I noticed a young woman on a laptop. I couldn't help but look over every few minutes. She had mid length red-brown hair, dressed in a black skirt and a long sleeved silver shirt. I couldn't see her eyes but I wanted to get to know her more. At about quarter til Jason excused himself to go up and talk to her, she nodded and left. When Jason came back, he said, "My intern."

"What?" I asked confused, being snapped out of my daze.

"That young woman is my intern for a few months."

"Wow, she is hot, and she must be smart too…Does she….I mean is she…" I couldn't bring myself to ask it.

"Yes, she's single, but there is a problem."

"That would be?"

"She is only 20. You are what, about 30?"

I looked down, embarrassed. "29" I mumbled. 9 years was a lot, but maybe.

"Blake, here's some advice from a friend and a guardian." I nodded. "Let her come to you first. If she starts, I promise I won't interfere. Just know she is from the Midwest. She is here for school; but I do wish you luck."

"Thanks man.

" Just then other captains started coming in. Phil, Sig Keith and Monte came in. they all were surprised to see me, but welcomed me back. Everyone started seating and I noticed Jason's intern, he never mentioned a name now that I recall it, come back and set up a video camera then she sat down at her laptop and Jason went to the front of the room, a mic on his shirt.

**Regular POV*

Jason went to the front of the room. The time hit 10 am and the started, "Welcome back once again. As you know by now, or I hope at least, I am Jason Madsen. I will be talking for part of this meeting. What, or rather who, you may not know is this young woman. Please stand up"-I ded-"This is my intern Miss Paige Givant. She went out on the sea with the other boys and helped gather the information. She will be controlling the other part of this." And he continued to do his part of the presentation. After he was done, he gave me the mic and I opened the screen starting with the map. I started walking around, making sure I covered everything. When I got to the last section, I started walking back up through the center aisle. I stopped and put my hand on the cute man's shoulder from earlier and dropped a note on his lap, making sure no one noticed. I went back up and sat down after the applause died. I let Jason finish up and took notes. Everyone left after the meeting at about 11:30. I turned and started closing down my computer when I heard footsteps. Jason already left so I stayed doing what I was. "I believe you dropped this." I turned and saw the blonde holding up the folded piece of paper I dropped on his lap.

"Well, it seems as if chivalry still exists. Thank you." And I reached for it but he pulled it back. I raised an eyebrow.

"May I get a proper introduction to this lovely young woman?"

I smiled shyly and held out my hand, "I am Paige Givant. May I know the name of this handsome modern nknight?"

"A knight, well I don't know about that. Maybe a fishmonger. But you can call me Blake, Blake Painter." And he grabbed my hand and kissed the knuckles. I blushed. "I know we just met, but would you want to go to dinner with me tonight?"

I blushed a little more and looked down. I wondered what Jason would say but I decided I was an adult. "I would be delighted," and he brightened.

"Really? I mean that's great! I'll pick you i[ around 7."

"Okay."

"You're staying with Jason, right?"

"Yeah, I am."

"I need to prepare for it, look nice. Okay?" He slid the paper into my hand and kissed my cheek. He left and I finished packingup. I went to my desk and put everything away. I ate lunch in the office with my ex-crew mates andthen went home and showered, dressed in a knee-length one shoulder burgundy dress. I did make up and got ready with perfume and shoes. It was 6:45 when I was done.


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry for the long wait! I just found the notebook I wrote the chapters in. So enjoy chapter 5.

Chapter 5: The Date

3rd POV

Blake got to Jason's house about 6:55 and Jason answered the door and called up to Paige. They talked for a bit. "So, where are you taking her?"

"The Cavern."

"That is pretty nice for a first date."

Blake shrugged and smiled. She started coming down the steps and Blake's eyes roamed over her body, causing his smile to widen. When she got to the bottom, Blake walked over and offered his arm to her.

Paige POV

I took in Blake's appearance, He was wearing dark jeans and a black pinstripe shirt. I smiled and took the proffered appendage. He led me outside and to a black F-150. He opened the door for me then closed it, getting in on the driver's side. When he turned on the car, the music started playing and I nodded my head with the beat and he chuckled. The noise caused my heart to flutter, which I covered by innocently asking, "What?"

HE smiled back to me and said, "Nothing," before putting the truck in gear. He headed out of town and through the woods. I was about to ask where we were going when I saw lights. He pulled into a parking lot that was outside a beautiful restaurant. It was at the base of a mountain, near the sea. A sign outlined in lights said, "The Cavern" and he parked and said, " The nicest restaurant in town."

"You didn't-" I started protesting.

He stopped it by putting his finger over my lips. "I wanted to, it's my pleasure." I was about to protest when I saw his look He leaned over and pecked my cheek before getting out and coming over to open my door. He put his arm around my waist once I was out and led me to the entrance.

The man at the podium was wearing a tuxedo and asked in a bored voice, "Name?"

"Painter, 2."

"Right, follow me." And he led us to a round table with a vase of white roses and two candles. He pulled out my chair and I sat with him opposite. I had water and Blake got a glass of wine. I knew he was older than me, so I didn't mind. We looked at the menus and I noticed the cheapest thing was $15 and it was for a bowl of soup. I didn't want to get anything too expensive.

Blake, as if reading my mind, said, "Get anything you want. Don't worry about anything." And he put his hand over mine. I though a bit. I knew crabbers made a lot but for the first date it would be a lot. He rubbed his thumb over my knuckles, as if begging. I smiled softly and decidedtonight I would enjoy myself. After we ordered, I had gotten steamed calamari and rice and him surf and turf, we talked about family and friends and whatever else came up. About halfway though dinner, a man with a neatly shaved beard and brown hair in a pair of dress pants and a tux shirt came up to us with a woman following shyly behind.

"You know, I didn't believe Sig this morning whehn he told me, but I guess he was right." The man said.

Blake almost choked on his glass of wine and turned around. "Edgar, good to see you again. And who is this lovely woman behind you?"

"Blake, this is my girlfriend, Lauren. Now who is this enchanting woman you have obviously kidnapped?"

"Nice ot meet you Lauren. And this is my date, Paige."

Edgar shook my hand then talked to Blake while Lauren and I talked. When they left, I raised my eyebrows at Blake, "Who was that?"

"Edgar Hansen. He is the deckboss on the Northwestern."

"Sure." I said with a small smile on my face.

"What does that mean?" He asked curiously.

I smirked lightly. "Sure he isn't more? Like your lover?" He glared at me.

"Why do you say that." He snapped at me, making sure to keep his voice down.

I leaned forward a little and said quietly, so only he would hear, "I think a little guy-on-guy is hot." And licked my lips while he blushed. I smirked and then apologized to which he responded.

"I'll gert you back for that." I let fear cross my eyes then went back to normal, while playing the possibilities in my head. At that point, the waiter came back and asked if we wanted dessert. I didn't care either way and Blake ordered something for us. He took my hands in his rough and callused ones and loked at me. We just stared into each other's eyes. Stormy blue-grey meeting a mix of autumn orange and forest greem When the waiter got back and placed a giant piece of red velvet cake down, Blake offered me a fork and I accepted.

"Can't go wrong with red velvet, a classic." He smiled as he let me take the first bite. He took one too and we talked lightly as we were eating. Between us, less than half was eaten and Blake got the check. He wouldn't let me see and threatened that if I saw it, I would have to pay. I pouted but agreed ad left the restaurant and back to his truck.

"so, you ready to go home or do you want to stay out some more?"

"I'd like to stay out with you." I responded and he smirked.

"So, what do you want to do?"

"You decide Blake." And he put the truck in gear and left the parking lot.

After driving for a bit, he asked, "You ever been on a boat?"

"A few ferries in Europe and some small boats. Why?"

"How would you like to see where I will be spending the next few weeks?"

"I would love too, but I thought women were bad luck?" I looked at him. He glanced back at me and said, "I'll chance it, for you." That caused a deep blush to spread across my face, which caused another heart-warming chuckle from him.

"You're shy, it's cute." I looked out the window. After a while we got to the docks and he led me to a balck boat. He jumped on and helped me over, then led me up to the wheelhouse through the galley. I made to sit in the co-captains chair before he pulled me after him, so I decided to sit in his chair. He glared playfully then pulled me up and sat down, pulling me onto his lap. He turned me sideways in his lap and put my back against the arm of the chiar. He smiled.

"Comfy?" I could only nod and put my arms around his neck. I pulled him down and kissed his cheek. He smiled and turned my head to look at him. He closed his eyes and kissed me softly, I closed my eyes as well and pulled him closer to me. He bit my lip and explored my mouth. We stared like that till he pulled away. I looked down, blushing.

"Hey, look at me." He softly commanded. I didn't. "Paige, please?" I reluctantly looked up.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"Then why won't you look at me?" He asked with hurt in his voice.

"I am." He pecked my forehead.

"Are you ashamed of being with me?" He asked seriously.

"What? No, of course not. Why would you say that?"

"Well, for starters, I am about 10 years older than you."

"Age is only a number."

"Let me rephrase that. Do you care that I am 10 years older than you?"

"I don't, others might."

"Well that's good, cause all that matters to me is what you think" he poked my nose gently, "and what I think." He grabbed my hand and led it around his jaw then kissed the palm. I thought about it, I liked him a lot and he was handsome and a gentleman. But 10 years was significant. I decided that, for now, the pros outweighed the only con I currently knew about.

"Blake." I trailed my hand down his cheek and brushed my thumb over his lips. "I know I am having a wonderful time with you and I think I like you more than you think." I pecked his lips and waited forhis response befrooe I took it further. He smiled and I played with his dirty blonde hair. He moaned into the kiss and I arched to him. He pulled away and looked at me sweetly.

He stroked my hair and asked, "Want something to drink?"

"Yeah, water please." I asked and he got up and went to grab our drinks. He came back and handed me a bottle of water while opening a can of beer for himself. He dituated me on his lap once more and we started talking again.

After a while he asked, "Are you comfortable in your dress?"

I inwardly panicked. "Why?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to change. Calm down."

I took another sip of water and asked, "If I ask you something, will you answer honestly?"

"Depends, but I will if I feel comfortable with it. Sound good?" I nodded and took a deep breath.

"How many women have you slept with?"

He was silent, so I wasn't sure if he was trying to come up with a number or didn't want to say. I was about to tell him he didn't have to answer, when he said, "Well over 20, that I remember. Most of them were one night stands." I thought about it. some of my friends slept with more and they were around my age.

"I understand if you're disappointed in me-" I put my finger to his lips this time.

"I never said that. Besides; some of my friends around my age have slept with more people than that."

"Really?" He seemed releived.

I smiled softly. "Blake I don't care about if the people I date are virgins or not."

"Paige are you-are you a virgin?" That got him to blush.

"Yeah I am, by choice. I am waiting until I am married."

"Oh." There was a silence, not uncomfortable, but not awkward either. I finished the bottle of water he gave me and noticed the sky. It was really dark out. On cue, my phone vibrated.

I opened it to Jason yelling, "Where are you! It is almost midnight! Get home. Now!" and the line died.

Blake laughed. "I guess I should get you home then?" he stretched, and I almost fell out of his lap. He stood up and wrapped his arms around me. He kissed my neck then took me down to his truck and drove me home. He walked me to the door and kissed me softly at first then deepened it to a deeper kiss which was interrupted by the door opening. Jason grabbed my arm and pulled me in while I smiled and waved to Blake.

He put my on the couch and said, or rather yelled, "What were you thinking staying out this late?"

"That I don't have work in the morning and I was having a good time."

"Don't act like a smartass. You should've been home hours ago! Where were you?"

"He took me to dinner at The Cavern, we ate, he saw a friend- Edgar Hansen I think-we left there about 9:30 and he asked if I wanted to come back or stay out. I chose to stay out and we drove around for a bit before he took me to his boat where we talked for a bit. Happy?"

He was silent. "I guess I should've trusted you, but you should have called.

"Sorry. Won't happen again. Night." And I went to my room and changed into black shorts and a light blue top and slept with thoughts of Blake running through my mind.

Blake POV

After dropping Paige off, I stayed on the porch, shocked at Jason's actions. Over protective; but hedid use to know me and my partying days. He should know that I wasn't that irresponsible and I would never take advantage of a woman, but knew that I had a lot of one night stands too. I very rarely dated, so I understood his concern. I headed back to the truck when I heard the door open.

"Blake, wait!" Jason came out. I turned and waited for him to talk. "Sorry about that. Paige just told me what happened. It's just, I know about your past with women and I don't want her to get hurt."

"I understand, but I want you to know that she is unlike any woman I have ever known. She is beautiful, funny, smart and a great personality. Iknow I will miss her when I head out. Please let me see her. I promise I won't intentionally hurt her." I pleaded. He looked thoughtful.

"Blake, I trust you man. Just know if you hurt her, you will be dead."

"You have me word, now I have to get back to the boat. Tell Paige I will call her tomorrow, or rather later today."

"Will do buddy. Night Blake." And I drove back to the boat happy. I went to my stateroom and slept happily, not being able to wait until the next time I heard her voice.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Decisions

Paige's POV

The next morning Jason pounded on the door a few times then said loudly, "Food," and I got up and brushed my teeth before checking that I was dressed appropriately; my t-shirt and shorts were deemed worthy as I left my room and down the stairs to the kitchen. "Sleep well?" He asked as I sat down at the table.

I smiled and nodded. He set a plate of eggs, sausage and toast in front of me as well as a glass of juice. "Thanks." I told him before noticing a mark on his neck, due to his sweater slipping. I stood and walked over to him. "So, boss, who was over last night?" I recognized it wasn't a bruise, or at least not one from hitting it against something. It was low on his neck, and very easily to tell it was new.

"What are you talking about?" He looked genuinely confused. I smiled before pulling his sweater to cover the spot. That got him to blush deeply. I kept looking at him until he sighed. I smiled and waited for him to say it. "Ronnie." I dropped my jaw; no way in hell was he gay. "I'm bi, not gay." I still didn't move until he led me to my chair and made me sit.

"Let me explain." He started sitting heavily in the chair next to me. "You should eat." He motioned to my plate. I started and he started talking. "I was straight, all through college, but couldn't help but notice that there was always a baseball player or tutor that caught my eye. I had many girlfriends, I thought I was in love with them, and some of them I was. I even made love with them, but when I came up here and noticed that there are about 6 or 7 men for every woman, and most women are married or taken; I was able to explore the homosexuality aspect of my life a little more. I overheard Ronnie talking about it one time and asked him what he was. He said gay, and I told him everything. He asked me over to his place that night to show me a little bit of…homosexuality. We started dating, in secret, that night, and last night was three years together. But since I am responsible for you, wanted to make sure you were home on time, so as soon as you left he came in the back and… yeah."

I had to know, "Who wears the pants in the relationship?" I took my plate up but knew he would have a charming blush.

I was happy I had put my stuff down already when he answered, "We both do." I turned so fast I thought I would have whiplash. He then stood and went up to his room. I waited a bit before going up to my room, still processing what was just told to me. When I got back in my room, my phone was glowing. I saw that it was Blake and smiled.

"Morning Paige, did you sleep well?"

"Yes I did, and you?"

"Well enough, then again I got tired out by a beautiful woman."

"You are too kind."

"Oh, I think it isn't good enough."

"You are quite a charmer sir."

"Only giving what you deserve." That made me blush.

"So what are you doing today?" I changed the topic.

"Well, we head out tomorrow. Today will be working on the boat, but could I see you tonight?"

"I would like that." I smiled.

"Will you be at the bar tonight? I know you can't drink or anything, but-" I know it was rude, but I cut him off.

"You want to see your friends before the season. I understand."

"Well, that. And I wouldn't mind showing you off as well."

That made me pause. "Blake, what are we?"

"Well, I would like you to be my girlfriend, if you would accept."

"Yes." I said smiling, but frowned. "But Blake, you know I am only up here for a few more weeks. Then I go back to school."

"I am ok with a long distance thing if you are." He was hesitant.

"Well then I guess we are together."

"That is a relief. I was worried you would say no. So what are you doing today?"

"I am not sure."

"Well, have fun, I need to get my crew to work. I will talk to you later."

"Bye Blake."

"Bye Paige." And I hung up, biting my bottom lip and then pulled out my laptop. I noticed that I had a new friend request, Blake. I added him and then started my online homework. Greek and Latin translations.

"Paige, we are going into town, want to join us?" Jason called with Captain barking.

"Sure, let me change first." I responded and quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and a school sweater, meeting them at the door. "Hey Captain, where ya been?" I scratched his ears.

"He wanders around town a lot. Everyone knows each other so he stays safe."

"Ah, ok." And I opened the door, Captain raced out and Jason followed after me. Captain was waiting at the SUV and looked impatient. Jason laughed and opened the back door, then opened the passenger door for me. That is when I noticed he was wearing a collared shirt to hide his mark. I didn't comment. We got to the store and went in, grabbing the small carts, not the normal ones that the crabbers used. Captain stayed outside, but we knew he would be fine. We went through the aisles and I noticed John and Andy loading up on coffee.

Jason called over, "Mind if we steal one of those boys?" they looked up, looked at each other, and laughed. We walked over, and I batted my eyelashes.

"Please?" Andy looked at me, then looked at John.

"Man, you know we can't." John started.

"But she is a woman." I had to hold back a laugh. They looked pained, but John handed me one.

"Thank you boys. I appreciate it." And we started talking until something tapped my shoulder. I turned and saw Blake. I smiled which he returned with a smirk.

"John, Andy, Jason. How are you?" Blake asked coming to stand next to me. He grabbed my hand and laced our fingers together.

"When did this happen?" John said loudly, noticing Blake's gesture.

"Last night and this morning." He responded. Jason just looked annoyed. I knew he wasn't too happy about the age difference, and since he was my guardian up here I did have to listen to him-to a degree.

"Congrads brotha!" John yelled hitting Blake heavily between the shoulders. He almost collapsed due to his slighter build. I squeezed his hand to make sure he was ok, his squeeze back confirmed it.

"Thanks John. I need to get back to the boat though. The boys forgot some essentials so I am here to pick them up." He looked at me and I gave him a smile. He pecked my cheek and whispered, "See you tonight." before walking away.

"So, Blake, huh? When did you two even meet?"

"He stayed behind after the conference yesterday. Talked and last night we went to The Cavern and then we went back to the boat until we were interrupted." I glared at Jason at that statement. He gave a half smile and tried to leave. I waved to the crabbers and followed my keeper to finish our shopping. When we loaded up the SUV, Jason looked at me.

"So you guys are public now?"

"Yeah."

"Since when?"

"This morning. After you left, I went up to my room and he called. He said he is ok with me being gone."

"Does he know you will be gone by the time he offloads?"

"No, and I don't intend on telling him either."

"Don't you think you should?"

"I will figure it out." I said, effectively ending the conversation. He respected it and when we got to the cabin, we unloaded and I went up to my room and collapsed on the bed, grabbing the calendar on my bedside. I propped myself on my elbows and looked down at it. _The boats leave tomorrow. I leave in 10 days. There is no way that they can catch their quota on time._ "Why?" I whined to myself. And that is the last thing I remember until I was woken up by a wait on my bed, dipping it down.

"Captain. Down." I noticed that he had a tendency to sleep on the bed. He jumped down and came to lick my hand. I pet him and looked at the time. 5pm. I was out for a few hours. I rolled out of bed and grabbed my camera to go outside. Might as well take a few pictures. Captain followed me up to a path that Jason showed me that winded up a mountain. I stopped every now and then to get a shot, but the prize was at the top. A small plateau that overlooked the harbor and the town.

I sat down on a stump and took pictures, the first was looking down at the harbor, all the boats tied up, cranes in various positions. I spotted the Northwestern and saw two figures on top of the wheelhouse. Turning to the Time Bandit, there was something on the deck, I couldn't tell what though. Eventually I headed back to the house to get ready for tonight.

Around 8, we left already having eaten. The bar barely had people in it, and Jason and I decided to go up to the counter. He got a Budweiser while I just had a pop since I was underage. It wasn't long that the door opened and the first of the crews came in. I noticed that the head was an older man, heavier set with a cutoff shirt and jeans. Behind were five men, all slim and tall. They sat down at a table and one of the younger ones came up to get drinks. He had a goatee and pierced ears. He placed his order and looked at us.

"Jason, who is this young woman?"

"Josh, good to see you brother. This is my intern, Paige."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Josh Harris."

"Josh, it is a pleasure." He flirted a bit more until his drinks were ready and he went back to his table. "Jason, who is everyone?"

"That is the Cornelia Marie, you talked to the captain's older son, Josh. His younger one is Jake-the brunette. Captain is Phil, dark skinned is Freddie, stockier one is Ryan, and the older one is Steve. I;'ll update you as they come in." I nodded and waited. The next was John, Andy and their crew.

"So you know John and Andy, their crew. Darker skinned is Eddie, tall one is Mikey, short, lean one is Scottie, John's son. Last is Russel." I smiled and could tell that he liked at least one of them. They all talked amongst themselves, turning when the door opened.

"You know the second one-Edgar. In front is his oldest brother, Sig, behind is Norman, older brother, then Matt, Edgar's best friend, and Jake a eager to please 'horn. Northwestern." I held back a laugh. Too me it was like a line of ducks, and Jake was the pet dog. I decided to keep it to myself. I was getting impatient about Blake not being here yet. I wanted to see him before he left and I didn't know how late Jason would let us stay. I decided to talk to the bartender, one of the few women up here. It was nonsense until I felt a tap on my shoulder.

I turned hoping to see Blake, and was disappointed to see Josh. "May I have this dance?" I noticed that music had started playing. I put on a fake smile and agreed, more because there was no reason not to. He led me to a small cleared space and I smiled, he had both hands on my waist, mine around his neck and he was doing some close dancing. I didn't want Blake to come in so I kept backing up. When the song ended I thanked him and went back to my spot, and as soon as I sat down, the door opened and in walked a line of men, Blake at their head. He walked to me and hugged me. I turned and gave him a smile, him leaning down to kiss me. I saw Josh's jaw drop.

"How about after a while we leave?" his warm breath said to my ear.

All I could do was nod. He didn't even do anything and left me breathless. He kissed my forehead before going over to his table. Jason gave me the look and I blushed. I couldn't wait for the time to pass for that. It seemed as if every few minutes were an hour. Eventually, two hours later, Blake came up to me and led me outside. We just went to the back of the bar, where a few benches were and sat down. He sat against an arm and pulled me up close to him.

"I know it hasn't been long, but I am going to miss you." He said to me.

"I'll miss you too." I responded and he pulled me close, I could feel his muscled torso against my back.

He started kissing my neck and I positioned it so he would get better access. It almost slipped my mind, "Don't leave a mark," I barely got out. He removed his lips long enough to ask why. "Don't like being owned." He mumbled a "mmhmm" and continued. I leaned up to turn and meet his lips with mine. We were outside for a decent amount of time until we heard voices which got us to stop kissing, switching to leaning against one another. I saw all the captains that smoked, plus some more I didn't know, come around the corner. Blake helped me up and we went inside, leaving me with Jason and him going to the captain's table.

After the bets were placed, Jason told me we were leaving. I went over to Blake and told him goodbye. When we were back at the cabin, Jason asked, "Did you tell him?"

"No. Can we go see him off?" He nodded and I went to bed. I knew Jason would wake me up.

NEXT MORNING

Jason woke me up and I just pulled on sweatpants and a hoodie. I hoped he wouldn't mind but I thought it didn't matter. I was seeing him off after all. We drove to the dock and he stopped next to the Northwestern. I walked down to the Tradition. One of his crew noticed me and signaled to the wheelhouse. I saw him wave at me and I waved back before they started to leave. It hoped they would be safe as I saw them leave the harbor. I didn't know when I would see him, or any of them again as I was leaving in a week.


End file.
